29 



year contracts and in a legislative base that the Congress of the 

 United States and the President of the United States approved. 



Senator Bumpers. Senator McClure, just to make sure the record 

 is accurate on this, the document put out by the Department of Ag- 

 riculture called "Timber Supply and Demand" says there are 1,987 

 direct jobs in logging, 467 direct jobs in saw mills and 880 in pulp 

 mills, for a total of 3,334. That is in 1988. 



Senator Stevens. That is probably true, but then you have to 

 add to that people who build the roads. 



Senator Bumpers. They also list 2,350 jobs in indirect and in- 

 duced employment, whatever the hell that means. 



Senator Stevens. And beyond that is the communication and 

 transportation infrastructure. We put it up to 10,000. I think I can 

 show you that is about the level. 



That is about two thirds, that Southeastern area, that is equiva- 

 lent to two-thirds of New England. It is roughly one-twentieth of 

 the State of Alaska. It has in it a population base of about one 

 person for every two square miles. It is very sparsely populated. 



It is an area that still has a great deal of open space, and the 

 people that live there are really proud of that. Again, I challenge 

 you to find another forest that has 110-year cutting cycle, and that 

 shows the impact of the people in the area in terms of the planning 

 for this forest. It is not rapidly cut. 



Senator McClure. I do not know if I stated — I meant to state if I 

 did not — that one of those resources, a very important one, is the 

 fisheries resource, and I certainly was not thinking of it because I 

 think it is almost co-equal. Both recreation and commercial fisher- 

 ies are an important economic base for that area. 



I take this time, Mr. Chairman, only because I think it is very, 

 very important that as we get, at the outset of this hearing, a little 

 bit of the background that went into the very tough compromise 

 that was forged, the legislative solution that was approved — and 

 again without burdening it — the commitment that was made to the 

 people of Alaska. I do not mean that just collectively, I mean that 

 individually. 



I have been there, I have talked to some of the people. I know 

 that there is a conflict at times between the uses, even as Alaskans 

 look at it. There is not total unanimity among Alaskans as to what 

 ought to happen. 



But these are American citizens, they are human beings as well, 

 and they are entitled to our consideration. I do not think we should 

 in that process overlook the impact that these decisions have upon 

 the native peoples in the area. Although they have their own land 

 selections and their own land base in part, these lands also affect 

 the quality and the kind and character of their life. I think we 

 need to be very careful of that as we deliberate. 



Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 



Senator Bumpers. Thank you, Senator Stevens. Did you have a 

 conflict with this? Were you trying to get off some place? I would 

 love to discharge you right now. 



Senator Stevens. I would be happy to leave. 



Senator Bumpers. I do not want to cut anybody off. 



Senator Stevens. I do not want to deny my good friend from Col- 

 orado to ask me questions if he had any. 



97-13A 0-89-2 



